Marry Me, Atticus

This short time off between semesters has let me catch up on some reading. I went to the library and got a few that were on my list. I also downloaded some free books onto my kindle. Reading is one of my favorite things to do and I wish I did more of it in the school year. I have been trying to get off my computer a little earlier at night and read a couple of chapters before bed. I finished a Christmas Carol by Dickens {ode to the season} on the train home and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. I forgot how truly amazing To Kill a Mockingbird is...WOW! I, like many had to read this book in high school and I never appreciated it.

First things first, I am completely and utterly in love with Atticus, he may just be the most perfect man in the world...well at least for me. He is brilliant, wise, fair, and kind. Out of all the wonderful things about him I especially love the relationship he has with his children {shocking} Jem and Scout. I love how he models humanity for them and raises his children as people, not pets without the capacity to understand what is going on. He has this way of making the life lessons appropriate for them, he doesn’t sugar coat it but he still lets them be kids. I don't know if I have the capability to describe him accurately {read the book} but honestly Atticus is the kind of parent I hope to be. Maybe it is the wisdom that comes from being an older parent, I am not sure but he is brilliant. Through his parentage his young children learn to be exceptional little people. 

I love that Scout is the narrator of this book; she has more insight than one should have at her age. There is a part of the book where Scout’s class is discussing Hitler and his persecution of the Jews and Scout’s teacher talks about how wrong it is for Hitler to be doing what he is doing. Scout begins to think back to the trial when her teacher had a lot of awful things to say about the blacks in Maycomb County. Scout doesn’t know that a hypocrite is what her teacher is but she understands the irony in the sentiment that her teacher is expressing. Often we don’t give children enough credit. 

Scout at her age has learned to be fiercely loyal to the ones she loves the most and that is more than I can say for most of the adults that I know. It is kind of strange to think of a nine year old as a strong female lead but Scout truly is one and I hope that if I have daughters someday I can instill in them the same sense of self pride and awareness. She is such a strong little person.I think the main reason that I love Scout so much is because she actually reminds me of myself at that age. She is a precocious little spit fire that talks too much, asks too many questions, is too smart for her own good and would rather play in the dirt. Also I am enamored by the way she loves her father, I could actually feel her love for him. Atticus’ children don’t just love their dad because he is their dad but because they respect him as a person. The kids in Mockingbird learn a very hard lesson about the ugliness of people at a very young age but they {especially Scout} still manage to keep their jovial spirit. 

This book was truly a joy to read again as an adult. Regardless of the time period of this book, it will always be applicable and relevant because it is a story about the goodness of men and doing what is right…just because it is so. There are so many lessons to be learned and I now see why it is assigned over and over again in Freshmen English classes from coast to coast. If you haven't had the chance to read this book you should read it and if you have, read it again! It is such a masterpiece.